Ancelotti set to hand Kaká a lifeline

Carlo Ancelotti is in no rush to dispense with Kaká. In his discussions with the club's hierarchy, he made a point of asking why the Brazilian has failed to hit the heights of his Milan period while in Madrid. Now 'Carletto' knows the score, aware that a mixture of bad luck with injuries and being shunned by José Mourinho has taken its toll.

When he heard about these struggles, the Italian knitted his brows in puzzlement, asking whether Kaká had caused any trouble. As he expected, the reply was in the negative. He was told that the Brazilian has been a model professional, never uttering a word out of turn or putting a foot out of line, breaking his neck to try to recover his form and showing all the enthusiasm of a fresh-faced youngster when given a rare first-team run-out.

These reports were music to the new coach's ears. He feels that a motivated Kaká has a lot to add to the squad, that the Brazilian is a good influence in the dressing room and hasn't lost the drive to win trophies.

The upshot is that Ancelotti made it clear before he went on holiday that he wants Kaká to stay and plans to hand him a clean slate. The Italian even believes that the forward can surprise those critics who have written him off by making a difference during crunch moments of the season.